Royals (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Chapter 73

 I gazed absentmindedly at the new potions professor, Horace Slughorn, he was a plump man with kind eyes, he was extremely excited and in all honesty, I missed Snape's cold, brutal lessons. Draco stood to my right and kept moving his eyes to me, he hadn't stopped dotting after me lately, he treated me as if I was a child and it was getting on my nerves. The door slams open As Harry drags Ron inside, the other students turn in unison. Hermione frowns. Lavender, seeing Ron, beams and my eyes rake over the two, who stared right back at me, I hadn't spoken to them, at all, not since the fifth year anyway. 

"Harry m'boy! I was beginning to worry! And I see we've brought someone with us..." Slughorn beamed staring at Ron who wasn't paying attention, Harry elbowed him and I let out a quiet laugh, Draco shooting me a look I shut my mouth quickly before standing up straighter. "Ron Weasley, sir. But I'm dead awful at Potions, a menace actually, so I probably should just be going --" Ron began was cut off mid-sentence by Slughorn letting out a gruff laugh "Nonsense, we'll sort you out. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. Right then, books out --" he assured as he turned back to the rest of us. "Not to worry. You can get what you need from the cupboard." As Harry and Ron step to the cupboard, Slughorn resumes, gesturing to the cauldrons bubbling before him. 

"Now, as I was saying, I've prepared a few concoctions this morning. Any ideas what these might be? Yes, Miss...?" his eyes stared into mine "Windsor" I replied politely a tight smile on my face trying to mask my disgust. "That one there isVeritaserum. And that would bePolyjuice Potion. And that...... is Amortentia! The most powerful love potion in the world" a few people glanced towards the bubbling cauldron and he motioned for me to continue "It's rumoured to smell differently to each person, according to what attracts them. For example, I smell the rain, new parchment, peppermint and sour apples" I concluded and Slughorn let out a wide smile "Now Amortentia doesn't create actual love, of course. That'simpossible. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession.For that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room." he finishes as he turns away from me only to find a sea of dreamy faces leaning into the vapours. Instantly, he clangs a cover onto the cauldron. 

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in that one." one of the girls on the Gryffindor Quidditch team pipes up, I think her name was Katie? I couldn't be sure. Slughorn steps to a small black cauldron and Begins to ladle a bit of golden liquid into a tiny vial. "What you see before you, ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis. But it is more commonly referred to as --" Hermione cuts him off "Liquid luck!" A buzz runs through the class. Even Draco perks up, moving to be able to look at the liquid better. "Yes, Miss Granger. Desperatelytricky to make. Disastrous should you get it wrong? But brewed correctly, as this has been, it has remarkable powers. One sip and you will find that all your endeavours succeed... at least until the effects wear off." Slughorn explains rather clearly and effectively. "But then why don't people drink it all the time?" That girl from the quidditch team spoke up again, she had a point, a vial or ten of this and maybe I could get away from all of this, run away from here. "Because taken in excess it causes giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence." Slughorn had just ripped out my plan and stomped on it one hundred times over. "Have you ever taken sir?" Blaise questioned, he stood to my left a smirk on his features. "Twice. Once when I was twenty-four. Once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoons are taken at breakfast. Two perfect days..".Slughorn eyes the vial dreamily, adrift. Finally, he blinks "So. This is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of liquid luck... to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death, the recipe for which can be found on page ten of your textbook." Excitement seizes the class. Slughorn smiles knowingly. "You should know that in all the years of my previous tenure at Hogwarts, not once did a student brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. In any event -- good luck." Slughorn sets the vial upon his desk, where it shimmers in a shaft of sunlight. I turned to move towards my desk and Draco's hand flew for my arm, I flinched lightly "we need this!" he sent me a pleading look and I nodded, he was right, we did.

I move to my desk after gathering my materials and opening the book, running my finger under the first instruction "Cut up one Sopophorous bean." I take the silver dagger upon my desk, poises it over the bean when Ron's bean shoots across the room and bounces off Katie Bell's head. I survey the rest of the room: everyone is struggling to cut the resistant legume. Harry's gaze met mine and he begins walking towards me quickly and I brace myself for a snide comment. "Crush it, don't cut it" his voice is quiet and he's gone just as soon as he came.  I place the flat of the blade against the bean and presses. Instantly, the protective parchment covering the desk runs red with juice. I shrug and lift the parchment tipping the juice into my cauldron, it begins to hiss and I take a fearful step back before it turns a lilac colour and I let out a sigh of relief. 

Students struggle. A cauldron overflows. My eyes move to Hermione, who grows more and more frustrated. Her hair grows bushier in the steam rising from her cauldron and I let out a small laugh. I add more ingredients "ow!" I spin quickly and Draco stands behind me grasping his hand tightly, he had cut his finger open, I sent him an annoyed look before walking towards him quickly. "you idiot!" I laugh and he rolls his eyes "watch it!" he hisses, clearly annoyed with my banter "do you want me to heal you or not?" I deadpan my hand rising to the pocket of my robe. He nods sitting down in the chair, I move in front of him, we're inches apart I grasp his hand delicately "Vulnera Sanentur" a pale light shoots from my wand and Draco's wound closes and a bandage spirals around his finger tightly. He lets out a quiet thank you before returning to his potion and I do the same, adding the last few ingredients. Slughorn wends his way amongst the cauldrons, noddingwith sympathy at the fiascos before him. Then... hestops, staring in disbelief at the pearly sheen of onebubbling potion.

"Oh My! this is brilliant! you're a potion master!" Slughorn compliments and I shyly smile, rating to Merlin he would give me the liquid luck, he gets distracted turning to Harry "Merlin's Beard! But it's perfect.So perfect I daresay one sip wouldkill us all! Your mother was adab hand at potions, but this...My, my, what can't you do, m'boy?Perhaps you will save us all inthe end..." All eyes turn to Harry. His smile falters. I groan in annoyance "do not use my ancestor's name in vain" I spit at the man rather annoyed at the way he was giving Harry the potion and not me, he didn't need it, he was lucky enough. Slughorn smiles at me and hands Harry the vial "Miss Windsor! I have a rather exclusive club that I would like to invite you to, Mr Zabini will give you details" and with that, the class was over.